Fans of Nicki Minaj have expressed disappointment tinged with outrage after the rapper appeared on stage in Dublin on Saturday about 90 minutes later than planned, and played a set that lasted less than an hour.
Minaj was due on stage at Malahide Castle shortly after 8pm but did not appear until just before 10pm and was gone before the clocks chimed 11pm.
The artist’s rain-soaked set also featured several costume changes which led to her disappearing for what felt to some like long periods during the show which was played under a blanket of dark grey clouds.
Minaj’s X account made no reference to either the lateness of her arrival on stage or the brevity of the set, with a short clip posted on Sunday focusing on the crowd and the singer apparently having a blast.
But many fans who had paid close to €100 for tickets – with some paying even more to access the areas closest to the stage – did not have a blast and were not so positive about the experience.
They were quick to take to social media in the immediate aftermath, expressing their displeasure on the Facebook page of concert promoter MCD, which was quickly flooded with harsh denunciations of the performance and the timings.
“It was ridiculous,” one user said. “There was a man on trying to distract the crowd and waste time and it was so obvious! We asked security at quarter to 10 was she coming or not and they said nope, that they were told she wasn’t so we left! Then heard she actually did show up after 10. Standing in the lashing rain and she shows up that late for fans, I want my money back!”
Another concertgoer timed Minaj’s presence among the fans at 59 minutes, although noted the star “kept going back for costume changes [without] one mention off her late appearance or an apology”. “There was no communication from anyone including the promoter,” the fan said.
It was, another poster said, “the worst concert I have ever been to. My child’s first ever concert. So disappointed.”
There were multiple calls for refunds with fans labelling the concert a “massive disappointment and disgrace” and “an abysmal show”.
MCD has been contacted for comment but at the time of writing no response was forthcoming.
Malahide Castle was not the only weekend performance from Minaj that disappointed her fans. Some 24 hours later she pulled out of a festival in Romania just hours before she was scheduled to perform because of what she said were planned protests in the area.
She was set to play the main stage at Saga Festival in Bucharest from 10.55pm to 12.10am but the 41-year-old rapper said that as a mother she had to make “sound decisions” so that she made it home to her son and her team returned to their families.
“Out of concern for the wellbeing of our team and myself, I have been advised by my security detail not to travel to Romania’s festival tonight due to safety concerns regarding protests in the area,” she posted on X. “I love you and thank you for your understanding and support.”
She also had to pull out of a concert in Amsterdam last month after being detained at the city’s airport on suspicion of trying to take “soft drugs” out of the country.
The delay forced her to miss her show at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena that was due to take place that evening, with the concert later being rescheduled.
In 2022, her appearance at Wireless, a festival in England, had to be closed early because of overcrowding issues, leaving some fans disappointed as they were denied entry despite having a ticket.
She subsequently organised a meet and greet in Camden for the following day to make it up to fans, but that did not go well either.
She posted on Instagram that she would arrive at midday but that was pushed back to 2pm and when she tried to enter the venue just before 6pm police had to form a wall around her as masses of fans rushed to see her and she was escorted away before entering the venue.
